Method for making biaxially textured articles by plastic deformation

ABSTRACT

A method of preparing a biaxially textured article comprises the steps of providing a metal preform, coating or laminating the preform with a metal layer, deforming the layer to a sufficient degree, and rapidly recrystallizing the layer to produce a biaxial texture. A superconducting epitaxial layer may then be deposited on the biaxial texture. In some embodiments the article further comprises buffer layers, electromagnetic devices or electro-optical devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a Divisional Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/112,894 “Biaxially Textured Articles Formed byPlastic Deformation” filed Jul. 7, 1998, which is incorporated herein byreference. The following are also incorporated herein by reference: U.S.Pat. No. 5,741,377, Structures Having Enhanced Biaxial Texture andMethod of Fabricating Same, filed Apr. 10, 1995 by Goyal et al., issuedApr. 21, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,086, Structures Having EnhancedBiaxial Texture and Method of Fabricating Same, filed Apr. 10, 1995 byGoyal et al., issued Apr. 14, 1998; and U.S. Ser. No. 08/670,871 High TcYBCO Superconductor Deposited on Biaxially Textured Ni Substrate, filedJun. 26, 1996 by Budai et al., issued Oct. 19, 1999.

This invention was made with Government support under Contract No.DE-AC0596OR22464 awarded by the United States Department of Energy. TheGovernment has certain rights in the invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to biaxially textured, composite, metallicsubstrates and articles made therefrom, and more particularly to suchsubstrates and articles made by plastic deformation processes such asrolling and subsequently recrystallizing high purity cubic materials toform long lengths of biaxially textured sheets, and more particularly tothe use of said biaxially textured sheets as templates to grow biaxiallytextured, epitaxial metal/alloy/ceramic layers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Current materials research aimed at fabricating high-temperaturesuperconducting ceramics in conductor configurations for bulk, practicalapplications, is largely focused on powder-in-tube methods. Such methodshave proved quite successful for the Bi—(Pb)—Sr—Ca—Cu—O (BSCCO) familyof superconductors due to their unique mica-like mechanical deformationcharacteristics. In high magnetic fields, this family of superconductorsis generally limited to applications below 30° K. In the Re—Ba—Cu—O(ReBCO, Re denotes a rare earth element), Tl—(Pb,Bi)—Sr—(Ba)—Ca—Cu—O andHg—(Pb)—Sr—(Ba)—Ca—Cu—O families of superconductors, some of thecompounds have much higher intrinsic limits and can be used at highertemperatures.

It has been demonstrated that these superconductors possess highcritical current densities (Jc) at high temperatures when fabricated assingle crystals or in essentially single-crystal form as epitaxial filmson single crystal substrates such as SrTiO₃ and LaAlO₃. Thesesuperconductors have so far proven intractable to conventional ceramicsand materials processing techniques to form long lengths of conductorwith JC comparable to epitaxial films. This is primarily because of the“weak-link” effect.

It has been demonstrated that in ReBCO, biaxial texture is necessary toobtain high transport critical current densities. High J_(c)'s have beenreported in polycrystalline ReBCO in thin films deposited on specialsubstrates on which a biaxially textured non-superconducting oxidebuffer layer is first deposited using ion-beam assisted deposition(IBAD) techniques. IBAD is a slow, expensive process, and difficult toscale up for production of lengths adequate for many applications.

High J_(c)'s have also been reported in polycrystalline ReBCOmelt-processed bulk material which contains primarily small angle grainboundaries. Melt processing is also considered too slow for productionof practical lengths.

Thin-film materials having perovskite-like structures are important insuperconductivity, ferroelectrics, and electro-optics. Many applicationsusing these materials require, or would be significantly improved by,single crystal, c-axis oriented perovskite-like films grown onsingle-crystal or highly aligned metal or metal-coated substrates.

For instance, Y—Ba₂—Cu₃—O_(x) (YBCO) is an important superconductingmaterial for the development of superconducting current leads,transmission lines, motor and magnetic windings, and other electricalconductor applications. When cooled below their transition temperature,superconducting materials have essentially no electrical resistance andcarry electrical current without heating up. One technique forfabricating a superconducting wire or tape is to deposit a YBCO film ona metallic substrate. Superconducting YBCO has been deposited onpolycrystalline metals in which the YBCO is c-axis oriented, but notaligned in-plane. To carry high electrical currents and remainsuperconducting, however, the YBCO films must be biaxially textured,preferably c-axis oriented, with effectively no large-angle grainboundaries, since such grain boundaries are detrimental to thecurrent-carrying capability of the material. YBCO films deposited onpolycrystalline metal substrates do not generally meet this criterion.

It has been demonstrated that high critical current densities can beobtained in YBCO films that have been epitaxially deposited on biaxiallytextured Ni. However, for practical superconductivity applications itwould be desirable to have a biaxially textured metal substrate withreduced or no magnetism, with increased strength and better thermalexpansion match to the superconductor.

The present invention provides a method for fabricating biaxiallytextured composite substrates with desirable compositions. This providesfor applications involving epitaxial devices on such alloy substrates.The alloys can also be thermal expansion and lattice parameter matchedby selecting appropriate compositions. They can then be processedaccording to the present invention, resulting in devices with highquality films with good epitaxy and minimal microcracking.

The terms “process”, “method”, and “technique” are used interchangeablyherein.

For further information, refer to the following publications, the notedsections of which are incorporated herein by reference:

1. K. Sato, et al., “High-J_(c) Silver-Sheathed Bi-Based SuperconductingWires”, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, 27 (1991) 1231.

2. K. Heine, et al., “High-Field Critical Current Densities inBi₂Sr₂Ca₁Cu₂O_(8+x)/Ag Wires”, Applied Physics Letters, 55 (1989) 2441.

3. R. Flukiger, et al., “High Critical Current Densities in Bi(2223)/Agtapes”, Superconductor Science & Technology 5, (1992) S61.

4. D. Dimos et al., “Orientation Dependence of Grain-Boundary CriticalCurrents in Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O₇ Bicrystals”, Physical Review Letters, 61 (1988)219.

5. D. Dimos et al., “Superconducting Transport Properties of GrainBoundaries in Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O₇ Bicrystals”, Physical Review B, 41 (1990) 4038.

6. Y. Iijima, et al., “Structural and Transport Properties of BiaxiallyAligned YBa₂Cu₃O_(7−x) Films on Polycrystalline Ni-Based Alloy withIon-Beam Modified Buffer Layers”, Journal of Applied Physics, 74 (1993)1905.

7. R. P. Reade, et al. “Laser Deposition of biaxially texturedYttria-Stabilized Zirconia Buffer Layers on Polycrystalline MetallicAlloys for High Critical Current Y—Ba—Cu—O Thin Films”, Applied PhysicsLetters, 61 (1992) 2231.

8. D. Dijkkamp et al., “Preparation of Y—Ba—Cu Oxide SuperconductingThin Films Using Pulsed Laser Evaporation from High Tc Bulk Material,”Applied Physics Letters, 51, 619 (1987).

9. S. Mahajan et al., “Effects of Target and Template Layer on theProperties of Highly Crystalline Superconducting a-Axis Films ofYBa₂Cu₃O_(7−x) by DC-Sputtering,” Physica C, 213, 445 (1993).

10. A. Inam et al., “A-axis Oriented EpitaxialYBa₂Cu₃O_(7−x)—PrBa₂Cu₃O_(7−x) Heterostructures,” Applied PhysicsLetters, 57, 2484 (1990).

11. A. Goyal et al., “High Critical Current Density SuperconductingTapes by Epitaxial Deposition of YBa₂Cu₃O_(x) Thick Films on BiaxiallyTextured Metals”, Applied Physics Letters, 69, 1795, 1996.

12. A. Goyal et al., “Conductors with Controlled Grain Boundaries: AnApproach to the Next Generation, High Temperature Superconducting Wire”,Journal of Materials Research, 12, 2924, 1997.

Hereinafter, each above listed publication is referred to by its number1-12 enclosed in brackets.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new anduseful biaxially textured, composite, metallic substrates and articlesmade therefrom.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such biaxiallytextured, composite, metallic substrates and articles made therefrom byplastic deformation processes including but not limited to rolling,swaging, forging, pressing, and drawing and subsequently recrystallizinghigh purity cubic materials to form long lengths of biaxially texturedsheets, rods, wires, filaments, and other forms.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide for the useof said biaxially textured composite forms as substrates or templates togrow epitaxial metal/alloy/ceramic layers.

Further and other objects of the present invention will become apparentfrom the description contained herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the foregoingand other objects are achieved by a method of preparing a biaxiallytextured coated article having a cube texture which comprises the stepsof: providing a metal article preform; coating at least a portion of themetal article preform with a metal coating selected from the groupconsisting of metals and metal alloys which produce a biaxial cubetexture upon plastic deformation and subsequent recrystallization toproduce a coated metal article preform; plastically deforming the coatedmetal article preform sufficiently that upon rapid recrystallization, abiaxial texture can be produced on the deformed surface of the metalcoating; then rapidly recrystallizing at least a portion of the deformedmetal coating to produce a biaxial cube texture on the recrystallized,deformed metal coating to produce a biaxially textured coated article,at least a portion of the biaxially textured coated article beingcharacterized by non-biaxial texture.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, theforegoing and other objects are achieved by a method of preparing abiaxially textured laminated article having a cube texture whichcomprises the steps of: providing a metal article preform; providing ametal laminate for the metal article preform comprising a metal selectedfrom the group of consisting of metals and metal alloys which produce abiaxial cube texture upon plastic deformation and subsequentrecrystallization; plastically deforming the metal laminate sufficientlythat upon rapid recrystallization, a biaxial texture can be produced onthe deformed surface of the metal laminate; placing the deformed metallaminate upon the metal article preform and applying conditionstherebetween to bond the deformed metal laminate to the metal articlepreform; then rapidly recrystallizing at least a portion of the deformedmetal laminate to produce a biaxial cube texture on the recrystallized,deformed metal laminate to produce a biaxially textured laminatedarticle, at least a portion of the biaxially textured laminated articlebeing characterized by non-biaxial texture.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, theforegoing and other objects are achieved by a method of preparing abiaxially textured powder-based article having a cube texture whichcomprises the steps of: providing a metal tube comprising a metalselected from the group consisting of metals and metal alloys whichproduce a biaxial cube texture upon plastic deformation and subsequentrecrystallization; filling the metal tube with metal powder to produce apowder-filled metal tube; plastically deforming the powder-filled metaltube sufficiently that upon rapid recrystallization, a biaxial texturecan be produced on the deformed surface of the metal tube andsufficiently to solidify the metal powder; and rapidly recrystallizingat least a portion of the deformed metal tube to produce a biaxial cubetexture on the deformed, powder-filled metal tube to produce a biaxiallytextured powder-based article, at least a portion of the biaxiallytextured powder-based article being characterized by non-biaxialtexture.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, theforegoing and other objects are achieved by a method of preparing abiaxially textured rod/plate-based article having a cube texture whichcomprises the steps of: providing a metal tube comprising a metalselected from the group consisting of metals and metal alloys whichproduce a biaxial cube texture upon plastic deformation and subsequentrecrystallization; filling the metal tube with at least one of the groupconsisting of rods and plates to produce a rod/plate-filled metal tube;plastically deforming the rod/plate-filled metal tube sufficiently thatupon rapid recrystallization, a biaxial texture can be produced on thedeformed surface of the metal tube and sufficiently to solidify the atleast one of the group consisting of rods and plates; and rapidlyrecrystallizing at least a portion of the deformed metal tube to producea biaxial cube texture on the deformed, rod/plate-filled metal tube toproduce a biaxially textured rod/plate-based article, at least a portionof the biaxially textured rod/plate-based article being characterized bynon-biaxial texture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a method for making a biaxiallytextured article as described in Example 1, and as claimed in claim 13.

FIG. 2 is an X-ray diffraction θ-2θ scan for a Ni-tube filled with Cupowder, rolled by deformations greater than 90% and annealed at 600° C.

FIG. 3 is an X-ray diffraction θ-2θ scan for a Ni-tube filled withNi-based superalloy powder of composition Ni-73%, Al-16%, Cr-6%, Mo-3%,Fe-1.2% and Y₂O₃-0.8%, and rolled by deformations greater than 90% andannealed at 600° C.

FIG. 4 is an X-ray diffraction θ-2θ scan for a Ni-tube filled with Cupowder, rolled by deformations greater than 90% and annealed at 800° C.

FIG. 5 is an X-ray diffraction θ-2θ scan for a Ni-tube filled withNi-based superalloy powder of composition Ni-73%, Al-16%, Cr-6%, Mo-3%,Fe-1.2% and Y₂O₃-0.8%, and rolled by deformations greater than 90% andannealed at 800° C.

FIG. 6 is an X-ray diffraction (111) pole figure for a sample made bydeforming a Ni-tube filled with Ni-based superalloy powder ofcomposition Ni-73%, Al-16%, Cr-6%, Mo-3%, Fe-1.2% and Y₂O₃-0.8%, androlled by deformations greater than 90% and annealed at 800° C.

FIG. 7 is electron backscatter Kikuchi diffraction data from the Nisurface of a sample made by deforming a Ni-tube filled with a Ni-basedsuperalloy powder of composition Ni-73%, Al-16%, Cr-6%, Mo-3%, Fe-1.2%and Y₂O₃-0.8%, and then rolled by deformations greater than 90% andannealed at 800° C. (111), (100), and (110) pole figures show thepresence of only the {100}<100> cube texture.

FIG. 8 is a grain orientation image created using electron backscatterKikuchi diffraction from a sample made by deforming Ni tube filled witha Ni-based superalloy powder of composition Ni-73%, Al-16%, Cr-6%,Mo-3%, Fe-1.2% and Y₂O₃-0.8%, and rolled by deformations greater than90% and annealed at 800° C.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a method for making a biaxiallytextured composite article as described in Example II, and as claimed inclaim 1.

FIG. 10 is a photograph of a Cu rod and plate coated with Ni usingstandard electroplating techniques.

FIG. 11a & 11 b are schematic diagrams showing a method for making abiaxially textured composite article as described in Example III, and asclaimed in claim 7.

For a better understanding of the present invention, together with otherand further objects, advantages and capabilities thereof, reference ismade to the following disclosure and appended claims in connection withthe above-described drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A new method for producing biaxially textured alloys has been developed.The term biaxially textured material is used herein to define apolycrystalline material in which essentially all the grains are alignedto within 20° with respect to all three crystallographic axes. For amaterial that has an out-of-plane texture better than 20° FWHM ascharacterized by a rocking curve, biaxial texture referred to here canbe characterized by an X-ray diffraction phi scan peak of no more than200 full width half maximum (FWHM). Accordingly, the term nonbiaxiallytextured as used herein is defined as being characterized by an X-raydiffraction phi scan peak of more than 20° FWHM.

It is well established in the art that high purity cubic metals can bebiaxially textured under certain conditions of plastic deformation andsubsequent recrystallization. For example, in Cu a biaxial texture canbe attained by deforming Cu by large amounts (90%) followed byrecrystallization. However, this is possible only in high purity Cu.Even small lo amounts of impurity elements (i.e., 0.0025% P, 0.3% Sb,0.18% Cd, 0.47% As, 1% Sn, 0.5% Be etc.) can completely modify thedeformation behavior and hence the kind and amount of texture thatdevelops on deformation and recrystallization. In this invention, amethod is described to biaxially texture alloys of cubic materials, inparticular face-centered cubic (FCC) metal based alloys. Alloys ofcompositions resulting in desirable physical properties can be processedaccording to the method of this invention to form long lengths ofbiaxially textured sheets, rods, strips, filaments and like articles.Such articles can then be used as templates to grow epitaxialmetal/alloy/ceramic layers for a variety of applications.

Many device applications require a good control of the grain boundarycharacter of the materials comprising the device. For example in hightemperature superconductors grain boundary character is very important.The effects of grain boundary characteristics on current transmissionacross the boundary have been very clearly demonstrated for Y123. Forclean, stochiometric boundaries, J_(c)(gb), the grain boundary criticalcurrent, appears to be determined primarily by the grain boundarymisorientation. The dependence of J_(c)(gb) on misorientation angle hasbeen determined by Dimos et al. [1] in Y123 for grain boundary typeswhich can be formed in epitaxial films on bicrystal substrates. Theseinclude [001] tilt, [100] tilt, and [100] twist boundaries [1]. In eachcase high angle boundaries were found to be weak-linked. The low J_(c)observed in randomly oriented polycrystalline Y123 can be understood onthe basis that the population of low angle boundaries is small and thatfrequent high angle boundaries impede long-range current flow. Recently,the Dimos experiment has been extended to artificially fabricated [001]tilt bicrystals in Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O_(X) [2], Tl₂Ba₂Ca₂Cu₃O_(X) [3],TlBa₂Ca₂Cu₂O_(X) [4], and Nd_(1.85)Ce_(0.15)CuO₄ [3]. In each case itwas found that, as in Y123, J_(c) depends strongly on grain boundarymisalignment angle. Although no measurements have been made on Bi-2223,data on current transmission across artificially fabricated grainboundaries in Bi-2212 indicate that most large angle [001] tilt [3] andtwist [5,6] boundaries are weak links, with the exception of somecoincident site lattice (CSL) related boundaries [5,6]. It is likelythat the variation in J_(c) with grain boundary misorientation inBi-2212 and Bi-2223 is similar to that observed in the wellcharacterized cases of Y123 and Tl-based superconductors. Hence in orderto fabricate high temperature superconductors with very critical currentdensities, it will be necessary to biaxially align all the grains. Thishas been shown to result in significant improvement in thesuperconducting properties of YBCO films [7-10].

A method for producing biaxially textured substrates was taught in aprevious invention, U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,377 Structures Having EnhancedBiaxial Texture and Method of Fabricating Same, filed Apr. 4, 1995 byGoyal et al., and issued Jan. 21, 1998. That method relies on theability to texture metals, in particular FCC metals such as copper, toproduce a biaxial texture followed by epitaxial growth of additionalmetal/ceramic layers. Epitaxial YBCO films grown on such substratesresulted in high J_(c). [11,12]. However, in order to realize anyapplications, one of the areas requiring significant improvement andmodification is the nature of the substrate. First and foremost is themagnetic nature of the preferred substrate made in accordance with theinvention described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,377. A preferred substrate ismade by starting with high purity Ni, which is first thermomechanicallybiaxially textured, followed by epitaxial deposition of either of metaland ceramic layers. Since Ni is magnetic, the substrate as a whole ismagnetic causing significant AC and DC losses in certain applications.Since Ni comprises the dominant portion of the substrate (i.e. ratio ofNi thickness to thickness of epitaxial buffer layers), most physicalproperties of the substrate are dominated by the properties of Ni. Inparticular, Pure Ni is very soft and has a low elastic modulus and yieldstrength. Most practical applications require significant strengtheningof the substrate. Also, the thermal expansion mismatch between Ni andthe superconductor or the device layer can result in cracking and maylimit properties. The last shortcoming is the limitation of the latticeparameter to that of Ni alone. In case the lattice parameter can bemodified to be closer to that of the ceramic layers, epitaxy would beobtained far more easily with reduced internal stresses. This again willhelp prevent cracking and other stress related defects and affects (e.g.delamination) in the ceramic films.

Although a method to form alloys starting from the textured Ni substrateis also suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,377, its scope is highlylimited in terms of the kinds of alloys that can be fabricated. This isbecause only a restricted set of elements can be homogeneously diffusedinto the textured Ni substrate.

A method for fabricating textured alloys has been described in anotherprevious invention, U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,377, Structures Having EnhancedBiaxial Texture and Method of Fabricating Same, filed Apr. 10, 1995 byGoyal et al., and issued Apr. 21, 1998. The invention involved the useof alloys of cubic metals such as Cu, Ni, Fe, Al and Ag for makingbiaxially textured sheets such that the stacking fault frequency of thealloy with all the alloying additions is less than 0.009. In case it isnot possible to make an alloy with desired properties to have thestacking fault frequency less than 0.009 at room temperature, thendeformation can be carried at higher temperatures where the stackingfault frequency is less than 0.009.

Here, a new method is described for fabricating strongly biaxiallytextured surfaces of composites which have bulk properties (i.e. thermalexpansion, mechanical properties, nonmagnetic nature, etc.) more nearlyideal for the application of superconducting layers, the biaxiallytextured surfaces also being more nearly ideal in terms of latticeparameter and chemical reactivity.

FIG. 1 shows schematically a powder-in-tube configuration wherein a tube1 of the desired coating material, for example Pd or Ni, is filled withalloy powder 2 of a desired composition and having the desired physicalproperties for the electronic device or conducting article in question.Physical properties may be for example particular values of mechanicalstrength, yield strength, fracture strength, thermal expansion,magnetism, and the like, for example, as a function of temperature.

The powder or filler material can be a mixture of metals, alloys ormetals and ceramic particles. In one embodiment the powder or fillermaterial comprises particles which may be of various specific shapessuch as rods or plates or other shapes which can contribute to desirablemechanical or physical properties. The rods, plates, and other shapesmay comprise metals, metal alloys, ceramic compositions, and othercompositions known to the skilled artisan, and combinations thereof. Asused herein, a rod/plate filled metal tube refers to a metal tube filledwith powder which comprises such rods, plates, other shapes, andcombinations thereof.

Once filled, the tube is closed, for example by inserting a plug made ofthe same material as the tube. The plug can then be sealed by variousmethods, for example electron beam welding or mechanical swaging. Thetube is then plastically deformed by a standard deformation techniquesuch as rolling so that the tube material undergoes a high deformation.The powder or filler material inside the tube is sintered, bonded,fused, or otherwise made into a solid of desirable properties by meanswell known to the skilled artisan. Typically the required deformation ofthe tube is greater than 90%. Typical rolling schedules are withreversing the rolling direction after each pass. After rolling awell-developed copper-type rolling texture 3 as referred to in [17] isformed. This is followed by rapid recrystallization of the compositematerial to recrystallize the tube material without any significantdiffusion of elements from the interior.

EXAMPLE I

In one comparison, Ni tubes with an outside diameter of one inch and awall thickness of 5 mm were filled with two kinds of powders. In thefirst case, pure Cu powder was used and in the second case a powder of aNi-superalloy composition was used. Once the tubes were filled with thepowders in a glove box, they were closed with a plug and then sealed bymechanical swaging. The tubes were then mechanically rolled according tothe following schedule:

10% reduction per pass

reverse rolling at each pass

total reduction greater than 90%

light mineral oil as a lubricant.

After rolling was complete, the materials were annealed at varioustemperatures. FIGS. 2 and 3 show. X-ray diffraction θ-2θ scans forsamples annealed at 600° C. and from the tube filled with Cu powder andthe superalloy powder (of composition Ni-73%, Al-16%, Cr6%, Mo-3%,Fe-1.2% and Y₂O₃-08%) respectively. Only the (200) peak from the Ni isseen, showing the cube texture in the material. FIGS. 4 and 5 show theX-ray diffraction θ-2θ scans from samples annealed at 800° C. and fromthe tube filled with Cu powder and the superalloy powder respectively.Since 800° C. is the highest temperature required for forming thesuperconductor phase in most film deposition techniques, such substratesare adequate in that they retain their texture at high temperatures.FIG. 6 is an X-ray diffraction (111) pole figure of the exterior Nicoating. Only four peaks corresponding to the exact locations of thecube texture, i.e. {100}<100> are seen. FIG. 7 shows (111), (100), and(101) pole figures from the data taken from, such a scan. Each polefigure shows that only a single orientation, namely, the cubeorientation, corresponding to {100}<100> is present. Once the data wasgathered, a grain orientation image was developed. Hypotheticalhexagonal grid was superimposed at each point from where a diffractionpattern was recorded. Grain boundary misorientations were thencalculated from all resulting grain boundaries. The micrograph was thenreconstructed and is shown in FIG. 8. Superimposed on the micrograph arethree types of grain boundaries. The thinnest boundaries 10 areboundaries with grain boundary misorientations between 1° and 5°,thicker boundaries 20 are boundaries with misorientations between 5° and10°, and thicker lighter boundaries 30 are boundaries withmisorientations greater than 10°. Clearly, the material comprisesprimarily small angle boundaries which are highly desirable in thesubstrate.

EXAMPLE II

Begin with a preform such as a rod or billet 100 of an alloy which doesnot texture, but has the ideal physical properties desired, as shown inFIG. 9. Physical properties could be particular values of mechanicalstrength, yield strength, fracture strength, thermal expansion,magnetism, and the like, for example, as a function of temperature.Laminate or coat the rod or billet 100 with a metal or alloy 110 whichis known to produce a biaxial texture 120 upon plastic deformation andrecrystallization, such as Ni. Plastically deform, for example byrolling, the composite structure such that the coating is deformed forexample greater than 90% for Ni. This is followed by rapidrecrystallization of the laminate or coating to produce a biaxialtexture 120. Since the texture is already produced in the laminate orcoating prior to any interdiffusion of elements from the inside, textureof the laminate or coating is not significantly affected. Epitaxialmultilayers (metal/oxide) may now be deposited on the biaxial texture.

FIG. 10 shows the method using the standard technique of electroplatingto provide the laminate or coating 210 on a copper rod 200.

EXAMPLE III

If the deformation behavior of the preform and the laminate or coatingare very different,as shown in FIG. 11a, the two may be plasticallydeformed under different conditions, followed by final steps wherefurther bonding methods such as co-rolling are employed to bond thebiaxially textured laminate or coating 310 with the preform 300. Ofcourse, in the laminate, the plastic deformation is performed to obtaina well developed copper-type texture prior to bonding. Bonding toproduce a bonded structure 320 is affected usually by a combination ofmechanical pressure and temperature. This is followed by annealing toproduce the biaxial texture in the laminate or coating. This method andstructure is illustrated in FIGS. 11a.

Similarly, FIG. 11b shows a substrate 400 having an annealed Ni tape 410bonded thereupon by rolling, and a cube texture 420 produced on the Nitape.

While there has been shown and described what are at present consideredthe preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be madetherein without departing from the scope of the invention defined by theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of preparing a biaxially textured coatedarticle having a cube texture comprising the steps of: a. providing ametal article preform; b. coating at least a portion of the metalarticle preform with a metal coating selected from the group consistingof metals and metal alloys which produce a biaxial cube texture uponplastic deformation and subsequent recrystallization to produce a coatedmetal article preform; c. plastically deforming the coated metal articlepreform sufficiently that upon rapid recrystallization, a biaxialtexture will be produced on at least a portion of the deformed surfaceof the metal coating; and d. rapidly recrystallizing at least a portionof the deformed metal coating to produce a biaxial cube texturecharacterized by an x-ray diffraction phi scan peak of no more than 20°FWHM in the recrystallized, deformed metal coating to produce abiaxially textured coated article, at least a portion of thebiaxiallytextured coated article being characterized by non-biaxialtexture.
 2. The method of preparing a biaxially textured coated articleas described in claim 1 wherein the step of providing the metal articlepreform is accomplished by providing a metal article preform comprisingat least one of the group consisting of Ni, Cu, Al, Ag and Fe and alloysof any of the foregoing.
 3. The method of preparing, a biaxiallytextured coated article as described in claim 1 wherein the step ofcoating the metal article preform is accomplished by applying a metalcoating comprising at least one of the group consisting of Ni, Cu, Pd,Pt, and Ag and alloys of any of the foregoing.
 4. The method ofpreparing a biaxially textured coated article as described in claim 1further comprising the additional step of: e. depositing onto at least aportion of the biaxial texture at least one epitaxial layer comprisingat least one oxide selected from the group consisting of Y, Ce, La, Zr,Sr, and Ti oxides and Y, Ce, La, Zr, Sr, and Ti nitrides.
 5. The methodof preparing a biaxially textured coated article as described in claim 4further comprising the step of: f. applying by a method selected fromthe group consisting of bonding and epitaxially depositing upon at leasta portion of the epitaxial layer at least one of the group consisting ofbuffer layers, electromagnetic devices, and electro-optical devices. 6.The method of preparing a biaxially textured coated article as describedin claim 5 wherein the at least one epitaxial layer is characterized bythe property of superconductivity.
 7. A method of preparing a biaxiallytextured laminated article having a cube texture comprising the stepsof: a. providing a metal article preform; b. providing a metal laminatefor the metal article preform comprising a metal selected from the groupof consisting of metals and metal alloys which produce a biaxial cubetexture upon plastic deformation and subsequent recrystallization; c.plastically deforming the metal laminate sufficiently that upon rapidrecrystallization, a biaxial texture will be produced on at least aportion of the deformed surface of the metal laminate; d. placing thedeformed metal laminate upon the metal article preform and applyingconditions therebetween to bond the deformed metal laminate to the metalarticle preform; then e. rapidly recrystallizing at least a portion ofthe deformed metal laminate to produce a biaxial cube texturecharacterized by an x-ray diffraction phi scan peak of no more than 20°FWHM in the recrystallized, deformed metal laminate to produce abiaxially textured laminated article, at least a portion of thebiaxially textured laminated article being characterized by non-biaxialtexture.
 8. The method of preparing a biaxially textured laminatedarticle as described in claim 7 wherein the step of providing a metalarticle preform is accomplished by providing a metal article preformcomprising at least one of the group consisting of Ni, Cu, Al, Ag and Feand alloys of any of the foregoing.
 9. The method of preparing abiaxially textured laminated article as described in claim 7 wherein thestep of providing the metal laminate is accomplished by providing ametal laminate comprising at least one of the group consisting of Ni,Cu, Pd, Pt, and Ag and alloys of any of the foregoing.
 10. The method ofpreparing a biaxially textured laminated article as described in claim 7further comprising the additional step of: f. depositing onto at least aportion of the biaxial texture at least one epitaxial layer comprisingat least one oxide selected from the group consisting of Y, Ce, La , Zr,Sr, and Ti oxides and Y, Ce, La, Zr, Sr, and Ti nitrides.
 11. The methodof preparing a biaxially textured laminated article as described inclaim 10 further comprising the step of: g. applying by a methodselected from the group consisting of bonding and epitaxially depositingupon at least a portion of the epitaxial layer at least one of the groupconsisting of buffer layers, electromagnetic devices and electro-opticaldevices.
 12. The method of preparing a biaxially textured laminatedarticle as described in claim 11 wherein the at least one epitaxiallayer is characterized by the property of supercondictivity.
 13. Amethod of preparing a biaxially textured powder-based article having acube texture comprising the steps of: a. providing a metal tubecomprising a metal selected from the group consisting of metals andmetal alloys which produce a biaxial cube texture upon plasticdeformation and subsequent recrystallization; b. filling the metal tubewith metal powder to produce a powder-filled metal tube; c. plasticallydeforming the powder-filled metal tube sufficiently that upon rapidrecrystallization, a biaxial texture will be produced on at least aportion of the deformed surface of the metal tube and sufficiently tosolidify the metal powder; and d. rapidly recrystallizing at least aportion of the deformed metal tube to produce a biaxial cube texturecharacterized by an x-ray diffraction phi scan peak of no more than 20°FWHM in the deformed, powder-filled metal tube to produce a biaxiallytextured powder-based article, at least a portion of the biaxiallytextured powder-based article being characterized by non-biaxialtexture.
 14. The method of preparing a biaxially textured powder-basedarticle as described in claim 13 wherein the step of providing the metaltube is accomplished by providing a metal tube comprising at least oneof the group consisting of Ni, Cu, Pd, Pt, and Ag and alloys of any ofthe foregoing.
 15. The method of preparing a biaxially texturedpowder-based article as described in claim 13 wherein the step offilling the metal tube with metal powder is accomplished by filling themetal tube with metal powder comprising at least one of the groupconsisting of Ni, Cu, Al, Ag, and Fe and alloys of any of any of theforegoing.
 16. The method of preparing a biaxially textured powder-basedarticle as described in claim 13 further comprising the additional stepof: e. depositing onto at least a portion of the biaxal texture at leastone epitaxial layer comprising at least one of oxide selected from thegroup consisting of Y, Ce, La, Zr, Sr, and Ti oxides and Y, Ce, La Zr,Sr, and Ti nitrides.
 17. The method of preparing a biaxially texturedpowder-based article as described in claim 16 further comprising theadditional step of: f. applying by a method selected from the groupconsisting of bonding and epitaxially depositing onto at least a portionof the epitaxial layer at least one of the group consisting of bufferlayers, electromagnetic devices and electro-optical devices.
 18. Themethod of preparing a biaxially textured powder-based article asdescribed in claim 17 wherein the at least one epitaxial layer ischaracterized by the property of superconductivity.
 19. A method ofpreparing a biaxially textured rod/plate-based article having a cubetexture comprising the steps of: a. providing a metal tube comprising ametal selected from the group consisting of metals and metal alloyswhich produce a biaxial cube texture upon plastic deformation andsubsequent recrystallization; b. filling the metal tube with at leastone of the group consisting of rods and plates to produce arod/plate-filled metal tube; c. plastically deforming therod/plate-filled metal tube sufficiently that upon rapidrecrystallization, a biaxial texture will be produced on at least aportion of the deformed surface of the metal tube and sufficiently tosolidify the at least one of the group consisting of rods and plates;and d. rapidly recrystallizing at least a portion of the deformed metaltube to produce a biaxial cube texture characterized by an x-raydiffraction phi scan peak of no more than 20° FWHM in the deformed,rod/plate-filled metal tube to produce a biaxially texturedrod/plate-based article, at least a portion of the biaxially texturedrod/plate-based article being characterized by non-biaxial texture. 20.The method of preparing a biaxially textured rod/plate-based article asdescribed in claim 19 wherein the step of providing the metal tube isaccomplished by providing a metal tube comprising at least one of thegroup consisting of Ni, Cu, Pd, Pt, and Ag and alloys of any of theforegoing.
 21. The method of preparing a biaxially texturedrod/plate-based article as described in claim 19 wherein the step offilling the metal tube is accomplished by filling the metal tube with atleast one of the group consisting of rods and plates, the rods andplates further comprising metals, metal alloys, ceramic compositions andcombinations thereof, the metal therein comprising at least one of thegroup consisting of Ni, Cu, Al, Ag, and Fe and alloys of any of any ofthe foregoing.
 22. The method of preparing a biaxially texturedrod/plate-based article as described in claim 19 further comprising theadditional step of: e. depositing onto at least a portion of the biaxialtexture at least one epitaxial layer comprising at least one oxideselected from the group consisting of Y, Ce, La and Zr oxides.
 23. Themethod of preparing a biaxially textured rod/plate-based article asdescribed in claim 22 further comprising the additional step of: f.applying by a method selected from the group consisting of bonding andepitaxially depositing upon at least a portion of the epitaxial layer atleast one of the group consisting of buffer layers, electromagneticdevices and electro-optical devices.
 24. The method of preparing abiaxially textured rod/plate-based article as described in claim 23wherein the at least one epitaxial layer is characterized by theproperty of superconductivity.